Murray NE- On Thursday, Nov. 30, the Conestoga Girls Basketball team competed against Louisville for the first game of the season. The first game was played by junior varsity at 4:30 and the varsity team played at 5:45.

The JV took the court at 4 to start their pregame warmups. The team was told they would only play 2 quarters because of low numbers. At the start of the game Alivia L won the tip off, but the ball was shortly turned over to the Lions. At the conclusion of the first quarter the Cougars were down by a few points but were keeping the game close.

When asked about the game, freshman Izzy B said, “I think that we were putting in a lot of effort dealing with the small number of girls, but we could have communicated better with each other.” The Cougars fell with a score of 19-34. “Many people on our team are younger players, they just need to work hard to improve and gain experience,” Coach Skiles says.

The Varsity game tipped off around 5:45. The starting lineups for both teams were announced before the start. Dani A, Alyssa B, Davida G, Ayla G, and Grace R started for the Cougars. The Lions got out to a quick start in the first quarter having a five point advantage over Conestoga. Although Conestoga was down they kept pushing through the first half ending with 14 points at halftime and Louisville had 22.

During the second half the Cougars put up good numbers with 11 points in the 4th quarter. Although the Cougars kept it close the Lions won with a score of 31-38. When asked about the loss Coach Skiles said, ”Whether we win or lose, players on this team need to stay positive and put forth great effort. All teams face struggles. In many ways, the struggle is the best part. Our main goal is to improve each time we take the court.”